(L-R) Pam Turer presents Carole Schaeffer with the NAIOP Wisconsin Trailblazer Award.

NAIOP Wisconsin Trailblazer Award

Carole Schaeffer

Vice President of Business Development

Friede & Associates

Our 2021 Trailblazer honoree is Carole Schaeffer with Friede & Associates, who was presented with the award at our Annual Meeting & Awards in January 2022.

The Wisconsin Trailblazer award is presented for extraordinary leaders and innovation in advancing the mission of NAIOP Wisconsin. The Trailblazer award is not given each year, and this is only the second time it has been awarded by our chapter.

Carole said, “I was incredibly honored to be selected for the Wisconsin Trailblazer award. I could not have done it without the support of Jim Villa and the NAIOP Wisconsin staff, along with my intrepid co-chair Chris Valcheff. Also, I extend congratulations to all the other chapter award winners. I look forward to what’s next for the Madison contingency of NAIOP Wisconsin!”

Carole remains actively engaged in the chapter, serving on the Public Policy Committee and as co-chair of the Madison Committee. She serves on our board of directors, as well as that of CORE fund, a 527 that complements the work of our political action committee, COREPAC.

We recognize Carole for her years of work and leadership in building the chapter’s Madison contingency and programming. In 2017, Carole worked with NAIOP Wisconsin CEO Jim Villa and formed a committee of members in Madison that recruited new members, developed local programs, and engaged with the rest of our chapter’s 400 members.

In the past five years, with the help of a committed group of volunteers, Carole has overseen the growth of our membership to about 50 people in Madison. Madison typically holds five unique local events and continues to build back the in-person education and networking as we climb out of the pandemic.

Because of her trailblazing, NAIOP Wisconsin is poised to continue to grow and serve our colleagues in the development community in south central Wisconsin.